CREATIVES

Robin Peoples Set Design

Although based in Scotland, Robin was born and bred in Derry-Londonderry, and is delighted to be back in Northern Ireland to work at the beautiful Lyric Theatre. He is a graduate of the University of St Andrews, and taught at the University of ErlangenNurnberg, Germany. He was the holder of the first Scottish Arts Council Director’s Bursary, and is the former Artistic Director of the Scottish Youth Theatre and of the Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh. He is the Lecturer in Set and Costume Design at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

He has guest directed and designed for a wide variety of companies, including the Glasgow Tron, 7:84, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, the Byre St Andrews, Perth Theatre, the Traverse Edinburgh, the National Theatre of Scotland and many others, his shows appearing on stages as diverse as Richmond Theatre, the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Mull Little Theatre, the London Palladium, the New Victory Theatre New York, the Glasgow Citizens, Trafalgar Studios Whitehall and the Sydney Opera House. He has commissioned over twenty full-length and one-act plays, and ten musical scores, has devised workshop and teaching materials, and has served on various national and international committees and boards.

His recent and current projects include North of the Tyne, Under the Stars (Pinwheel), a large-scale multi-media site-specific event production, and The Boatbuilders, a multi-genre musical collaboration between the University of St Andrews, the RCS and EnCompass Productions, which is integrated with the long-term heritage project of an historic boat restoration. His past Lyric Theatre designs include The Importance of Being Earnest, Pride and Prejudice and Cinderella

Gillian Lennox Costume Designer

After graduating with BA Hons in Fashion and Textiles at The University of Ulster Gillian Lennox went on to be a designer within the fashion industry.

After a spell designing for Marks & Spencer Menswear Gillian began a 14-year career working for a London based manufacturing/ design company where she progressed to Head Designer supplying companies such as on line retailer ASOS, and Southern Ireland high street stores Dunnes and A-Wear. Her designs for ASOS and A –Wear were often featured in magazine editorials.

Gillian’s work often took her overseas to Paris, Syria and Morocco where she gained insight into the entire process of textile design, garment and pattern construction.

Throughout her career Gillian also continued with her own freelance work and has been a maker and illustrator for Universal Studios when they first came to Northern Ireland with films such as Your Highness and more recently was a maker for the movie The Northman.

Gillian has assisted on the BBC Proms and Children in Need and designed and made the costumes for The Belfast Mela South Asian Dance Academy.

Before being appointed as Costume Supervisor with the Lyric Theatre in August 2017 Gillian free-lanced as a maker with the Lyric Theatre, working on various productions including Little Red Riding Hood & the Big Bad Wolf, The Gingerbread Mix Up, The 39 Steps and The Ladykillers

For the Lyric Theatre, Gillian has supervised the costume department on all producing shows for the past five years and has been the Costume Designer for Dr Scroggy’s War, Good Vibrations, Alice: The Musical, Double Cross, Rough Girls (Arts & Business Awards) Dark of the Moon, Shirley Valentine, Peter Pan: The musical, 1984 (Postponed Covid), Sadie, Dracula, Pinocchio, Blue stockings and The Snow Queen.

Most recently Gillian has been involved in a living history tender for Mid Ulster Council/ Lyric designing and producing 23 costumes for historical sites and National trust properties.

JAMES C McFETRIDGE LIGHTING DESIGNER

James has been working as a lighting designer for over twenty-five years. His earliest designs were in the Lyric Theatre and included Stones in his Pockets, which he re-lit in the West End (firstly in the Ambassadors Theatre, followed by a three-year residency in the Duke of York Theatre) and then on Broadway (John Golden Theatre, New York). His design was also used in various Irish, UK, US and World tours.

He has had one other West End show (Alone it Stands, Duchess Theatre), and has lit shows in Canada, Australia, Russia and New York, and his designs have toured all across the UK and Ireland.

James’ previous lighting designs for the Lyric include: Big Man, The Gap Year, Dracula, Dark of the Moon, Dr Scroggy’s War, The Heresy of Love, The Patriot Game, Eternal Love, Demented, Can’t Forget About You, 55 Days, Brendan at the Chelsea, Our Country’s Good, The Civilisation Game, Light Shining in Buckinghamshire, and The Jungle Book.

Other recent lighting designs include: Teechers, Mojo Mickybo, The 39 Steps, The Colleen Bawn, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), Playhouse Creatures, Cabaret, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, and Spelling Bee (Bruiser Theatre Company); The Elves and the Shoemaker, Under the Hawthorn Tree (Cahoots NI); The Producers (BSPA); Bridesmaids of Northern Ireland, Three’s A Shroud, The History of the Peace… According to My Ma, Crazy, and Baby It’s Cold Outside (GBL Productions); In The Name of the Son, Two Sore Legs, 1932The People of Gallagher Street, Meeting At Menin Gate (Green Shoot Productions).

Chris Warner Composer And Sound Designer

Chris is an East-Anglian based composer, sound designer, orchestrator and producer working across theatre, television, film and education.

Lyric Theatre credits include Blue Stockings, Dracula, Dark of the Moon, Dr Scroggy’s War (Creative Learning), Sadie, Double Cross, and for the ‘Listen at the Lyric’ season, The Gap Year, Burnt Out, Under the Albert Clock and Ulster After Dark.

Other recent theatre credits include, The Wind in the Willows Wilton’s (Wilton’s Music Hall), Streets Alive, Booming Voices, From Rushmere With Love (Eastern Angles Theatre), The Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth Schools (RSC)

Television & Film credits include The Ipcress File (ITV), The Rise of the Tudors (SKY), The Mauritanian (BBC Films), McMafia (BBC1), Waiting Room and Make a Musical (BBC Learning, BAFTA Nominated)

Original albums include Immersive Stories, co-composed with song-writer Sue Verran and percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, and Wonders of The Cosmos, recorded on location at Ely Cathedral and Abbey Road Studios.

Recent collaborations include live performance poetry with Classic FM presenter Zeb Soanes and children’s illustrator James Mayhew, and live concerts with electronic artists Floex and Tom Hodge.

MICHAEL CORBIDGE VOICE & TEXT COACH

Michael trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School way back in the last century! And has clocked up over 40 years in the Industry as Man and boy!

Michael currently works as a freelance lecturer, visiting professional practitioner, director and voice and text specialist in the Acting for Performance program at The Rose Bruford College of the Arts. He teaches across a broad spectrum of programs. He is also a visiting artist cross a number of U.K. institutions.

Also as one of the Senior Voice and Text Associate at The Royal Shakespeare Company and a Senior Associate learning Practitioner with the Education Department. His roles are numerous working with both in-reach and out-reach projects across the UK, supporting all voice and text work in various professional and community settings. Currently embarking on a nine city engagement across 6 months.

He runs bespoke voice and text workshops from his own studio ‘The Colour Voice Studio’ in Kent. Residential courses for his ground breaking ‘Elemental Shakespeare’ Method. His research is currently being collated for publication.

He supports as a Trustee, Patron, Associate Practitioner, and Director a number of companies and groups furthering their love of the arts and performance.

michaelcorbidge.co.uk michaelcoebidge@hotmail.com

IAN McCRACKEN

Fight Director

Ian is stage combat tutor and fight director with a career spanning over 20 years. He has been resident instructor at The Oxford School of Drama since 2004 and has worked at drama schools including GSA, Arts Ed, The Royal Academy of Music and the Lyric Belfast for the Creative Learning Dept.

Ian’s fight directing credits include What’s in a Name (Birmingham rep) Robin Hood, Sinbad (Theatre Royal Stratford East) Romeo & Juliet, Twelfth Night, The Rover, Plasticine (The Southwark playhouse) Days of Significance, Blue Stockings, Welcome to Theobes (Royal and Derngate), Sweeney Todd (RAM), Romeo and Juliet (The Water Mill) All Day Permanent Red (The Royal Court) Blue Stockings, Peter Pan, Playboy of the Western World, Street Car Named Desire, Dracula, Eternal Love, Blackout, How Many Miles to Babylon (The Lyric Belfast) His Film/TV credits include Hollyoaks, Intergallectic Combat, Snake Pit, The Job and Fly Trap.

He has also been Fight Captain for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, training some of the worlds leading opera singers, as well as performing beside them in Romeo & Julliette and Simon Boccanegra.

View some of his work on www.ian-mccracken.co.uk